Care and materials

Everything in the Lorqesia range shares the same build, so these instructions apply to all thirteen scents.

Materials

  • Wax — 100% soy wax blend. No paraffin, no dye.
  • Wick — a single flat-braid cotton wick, centred. No lead or zinc core.
  • Vessel — matte stoneware with a glazed mulberry band, fired and food-safe, with a matching lid.
  • Fill — 12 oz (340 g).
  • Burn time — approximately 60 hours.
  • Dimensions — approximately 9 cm wide by 8 cm tall.

The first burn decides the rest

Soy wax has a memory. On the first light, burn the candle for two to three hours, until the melted pool of wax reaches the edge of the vessel all the way round. If you put it out before then, the candle will keep burning down the middle on every later light and leave a ring of unused wax stuck to the wall. That is tunnelling, and once it starts it is difficult to undo.

Every burn after that

  • Trim the wick to about 5 mm before lighting. An untrimmed wick mushrooms, smokes and throws soot onto the vessel.
  • Burn for no more than four hours at a time. Let the candle cool fully before relighting.
  • Keep it away from draughts. A draught pulls the flame sideways and burns the wax unevenly.
  • Stop burning when about 1 cm of wax is left. Below that the vessel gets hot enough to matter.

Safety

Never leave a burning candle unattended. Keep it out of reach of children and pets, away from anything that can catch, and on a flat heat-resistant surface. Do not move the candle while the wax is molten.

Reusing the vessel

When the candle is finished, put the vessel in the freezer for a few hours. The last of the wax contracts and lifts out in one piece. Pop out the wick tab, wash with hot soapy water, and the stoneware is yours for pens, brushes, cotton buds, kitchen tools or a small plant. The lid keeps dust out if you use it for storage.

Storage

Keep the lid on between burns and store away from direct sunlight. Sunlight fades the glaze over time and thins the scent throw. A candle kept lidded in a cupboard holds its fragrance for well over a year.

Questions

If something is not burning the way you expected, email info@lorqesia.com with a photo of the melt pool and we will tell you what is going on.